I really appreciate these seasonal Minotaur samplers! As someone who rarely reads thrillers, this was a fun and easy way to dip into a few upcoming titles without feeling overwhelmed. A few of excerpts caught my interest in different ways, and I’ve definitely made a note to watch for their full releases. This sampler helped me discover a couple of books I probably wouldn’t have picked up otherwise, which is always a win! Looking forward to reading more.


Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the access to these wonderful book samples!

Thank you for another great Minotaur books sampler.
I picked up the Mariah Fredericks story and can't wait to read it!

I always love the Minotaur samplers! They have such a great selection of mystery and thriller writers. The samplers give me an idea of the upcoming books I most want to read.

Thanks Minotaur and NetGalley for providing this sampler. All thoughts are my own.

As always, a great way to learn about new authors! Especially interested in the Ragnar Jonasson book.

This is the first time that I want to read EVERY book in your sampler! Great authors, and the excerpts make want to run out and get every book. This is a perfect sampler for summer and there’s something for everyone.

I have enjoyed every edition of The Minotaur Sampler, and volume 16 is no exception. I found each of the excerpts from four soon-to-be-published intriguing -- especially All This Could Be Yours, which I definitely look forward to reading. I also look forward to the next edition of The Minotaur Sampler!

Once again, I'm grateful to NetGalley and Minotaur for sharing initial chapters of upcoming mysteries to sample. This collection exposed me to authors I've not yet read and provided enough intrigue to get me interested in finding out more. The Girl in the Green Dress chapters took me back to the whodunits of the last century, and All This Can Be Yours established a sense of dread from the very first pages.

I love these excerpt samplers! This volume has four excerpts from upcoming mysteries and thrillers. None of these four caught my eye, but I will excitedly await the next volume!

Thank you, Minotaur!

Samplers are fun and this volume gives a glimpse of four very different mystery novels coming out later this year.

Thanks NetGalley and Minotaur for the sneak peek!

Thank you for another great Minotaur books sampler.
I really appreciate these!
I picked up the Zelda Fitzgerald story and can't wait to read it!

As always, I was super excited to read thIs Minotaur Sampler. I am normally very intrigued but these books were not really my cup of tea. While I didn’t add any to my TBR, I didn’t mind the excerpts.

Thank you NetGalley for a chance to read these books in exchange for an honest review.

TL/DR: Once again, I found myself intrigued with the variety of books spotlighted in “The Minotaur Sampler, Volume 16: New Books to Make Your Heart Race”. I apologize for the lengthy review. It is probably easier to download samples of the book or the sampler for yourself. These books are all unique.

The first book spotlighted was “The Girl in the Green Dress” by Mariah Frederick. It is a historical fiction novel based on the “impossible locked room murder” in 1920 of the gambler Joseph Elwell. It follows Morris Markley who hopes to make a name for himself.

Under the pretense of helping and having the good luck of living just across the street, Markley does try to help Elwell, but isn’t hopeful, having seen his share of death in war. He then tells the housekeeper that because the doors and windows are locked, the intruder may still be inside.

He searches the house, making some interesting discoveries and then when “caught” goes across the street to call in his story. While he isn’t a part of the world in which Elwell traveled, he knows someone who is. Newly famous Scott Fitzgerald and his wife Zelda.

My personal experience is that historical novels can go either way for me, but I did enjoy the first few chapters.

If you like a book based on a real life, locked room murder, this may be just up your alley. I would be interested to see how it ends. This book will be published on September 9, 2025.

The second book spotlighted is by award winning writer Hank Phillippi Ryan titled “All This Could Be Yours”. I was hooked from the first few pages.

It follows a woman who is sick of others taking credit for her work and then cleaning up after them when they screw up. She has a social media account and documents leaving her job and then writing a best selling novel.

It is implied that all is not as it seems with her past and some things have happened at home (her husband bought a new house with her advance) and someone sent her earrings at her old home address.

She ends up finding a locket in her hotel room and turns to her followers. I don’t think she is going to like where it leads. I was lucky enough to receive a copy of this book to review and it is due out on September 9, 2025.

The third book is “The case of the missing crime writer” by Ragnar Jónasson and takes places in Iceland. It also seems to follow different timelines.

The premise of the book is interesting. One of the characters seems to have recently gotten out of a toxic relationship and the book opens up with the writer they are trying to find giving an interview in which she says some pretty interesting things.

I think this is going to be an interesting book and I wish it the best of luck. I would suggest downloading a sample if you are interested as it goes back and forth between multiple people and settings. This book is also due to be published September 9, 2025.

The last book, is “A Murderous Business” by Cathy Pegau. It is sold as a sharp, captivating historical mystery about two queer women in turn-of-the-century New York with a blurry line between what is ethical and what is legal.

I have to be honest, I didn’t get much out of the first chapters of the book other than the feeling that this was going to be an interesting book. Both FMC’s are women doing a man’s job. This is also a book I would be interested in reading.

Again, I find it hard to sum up the first few chapters expect the main character is worried that her family business and by extension her father may have sickened and killed people. This is based on a note of someone no longer with the company who was found dead before she could explain in further detail, and who should not have been on the property. This book will be available on September 16, 2025.

I would like to thank St. Martin’s Publishing Group and by extension MacMillan as well as NetGalley for a copy of this sampler. All opinions are my own and my review is voluntarily given. As always, I wish you happy reading.

Another great selection of books up coming! Cannot wait to get my hands on these. Thanks as always for providing these samplers!

I love these samplers! A great way to know if you can’t live without a book before committing.

Thank you @netgalley and @stmartinspress

Titles:

The Girl in the Green Dress

All This Could Be Yours

The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer

A Murderous Business

Of all the titles - I’m definitely watching for All This Could Be Yours!

As always, the perfect way to get a sneak preview of upcoming books. Love these samplers!

Thank you to NetGalley & St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books for the digital ARC!

Yay! My most favorite part of NetGalley, (St. Martin's Press | Minotaur Books) is the famous Minotaur Sampler.
This is The Minotaur Sampler, Volume 16 with four amazing samples written by a couple of my favorites Cathy Pegau; Mariah Fredericks; Hank Phillippi Ryan; Ragnar Jónasson.
A fantastic collection of upcoming reads. These samplers are a great way to build your want to read list.

I'll start by extending a big thanks to the authors included, St. Martin's Press (Minotaur Books), and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this sampler of historical fiction, The Minotaur Sampler, Volume 16. I hadn't gotten a chance to read any of the authors included yet, so I was very intrigued to see if any of the books struck me as something I would put on my TBR. I did end up putting a couple of the titles on my TBR after reading through the samples. The Case of the Missing Crime Writer and A Murderous Affair both seemed really great, and I'm looking forward to reading more of those stories! The covers of the books immediately made me want to check them out, as they are all very well-designed and eye catching! Thanks again!

5/5 stars!

Thank you to Minotaur for this sampler. The excerpts were great, I’m looking forward to read a few.

While I usually love these samplers, I did not enjoy this collection of books. The last version was absolutely awesome and this one fell quite short in comparison. I wasn't really drawn in by any of the books featured. I always enjoy discovering new authors, but this one just didn't do it for me.

This review was also posted on Goodreads.

Thank you to Netgalley and Minotaur Books for providing these excerpts from the upcoming publications.

I find the Minotaur Sampler volumes to be a good way to decide if a book is for me. This sampler contains excerpts from the following books:

A Murderous Business by Cathy Pegau
All This Could Be Yours by Hank Phillippi Ryan
The Girl in the Green Dress by Mariah Fredericks
The Mysterious Case of the Missing Crime Writer by Ragnar Jónasson

Please note that my copy contained an excerpt for a novel by Ragnar Jónasson instead of The Quiet Mother by Arnaldur Indridason as pictured on Goodreads. In addition, there were some formatting issues with a few chapters from a couple of the stories out of order.

This sampler had a range of selections for me from a favorite author to several with which I am unfamiliar. The story descriptions both intrigued me and left me thinking not for me. I had one of the books on my TBR already since the author is a favorite and one of the books was on my maybe list. I confirmed that one was not for me and was intrigued by a new to me author, adding a new book to my TBR that I have seen reviewed on Bookstagram already.